Nadal wins seventh Barcelona title

Updated April 30, 2012 08:11:25

Rafael Nadal confirmed his status as king of clay by winning his seventh Barcelona Open title with a high-quality 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 defeat of David Ferrer.

World number two Nadal went from one history-making weekend to another after claiming an unprecedented eighth straight title a week ago in Monte Carlo where he beat world number one Novak Djokovic.

Seven days later, he took nearly three hours to add to his records in Barcelona as he held off compatriot Ferrer.

Nadal and his friend were playing their fourth final at the Real Club de Tenis, with Nadal winning all of them dating back to 2008.

He now stands as the only man to win two different events at least seven times each.

"This was my hardest match since the start of the clay season," said the winner. "David always takes you to the limit.

"I was lucky when I saved break points. The odds were on my side. In the second set David played very close, but I had the luck at the end. I'm so happy and I feel sorry for him. I'm starting to feel my game well on the clay."

Nadal's victory was his 34th in a row at Barcelona and improved his finals record on clay to 34-4.

His only clay finals losses have come against Djokovic and Roger Federer, each beating him twice.

The Barcelona triumph in front of 8,000 fans came exactly 10 years to the day that a 15-year-old Nadal made his debut on the ATP Tour in his native Mallorca.

Sunday's final was the 10th between Spaniards at the tournament in the Open era, the sixth featuring Nadal and the fourth in five years between Nadal and Ferrer.

Spaniards have won the home title for the past 10 years since 2003.

"Rafa is Rafa and he is very good," Ferrer said in defeat. "I've lost four times to him in this final. But I've always lost to one of the greats. He is a very good player and even better as a person."

The marathon final looked never-ending after a first set lasting 93 minutes with Nadal saving five set points in the 12th game before the tiebreaker which he dominated.

Ferrer, 30, refused to roll over, with the third seed coming from 1-3 down as he broke Nadal in the fifth game and then did it again for 5-4 as Nadal produced a double-fault.

But Nadal was not done, with the top seed breaking back for 5-5, producing a love game for 6-5 and breaking again to end the dramatic contest a game later on the first of three match points.

Nadal now stands 14-4 over Ferrer after winning the 48th trophy of his career.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, spain

First posted April 30, 2012 08:09:12

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Nadal, Ferrer set Barcelona date

Updated April 29, 2012 13:56:00

Rafael Nadal crushed Fernando Verdasco for the 13th time in his career to set up a fourth Barcelona Open final with long-time rival David Ferrer.

The Sunday showdown will be a repeat of the 2008, 2009 and 2011 finals which were all won by Nadal.

French Open champion Nadal, who is fresh from winning an unprecedented eighth straight title at Monte Carlo last weekend, overwhelmed Verdasco 6-0, 6-4 in just 85 minutes with four breaks of serve.

Third-seed Ferrer had a tougher afternoon, requiring just over two hours in defeating huge-serving Canadian Milos Raonic 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5).

"I'm very happy to reach a fourth final. It's a very special relationship I have with this tournament," said Ferrer, who had said this week it would be the culmination of his career to lift the trophy.

"I hope I can finally fulfil my dream of finally winning here."

Nadal has dominated the Barcelona event, winning six titles in seven previous appearances. On the one occasion he didn't play -- he missed 2010 with knee problems -- Verdasco took the honours.

Nadal's victory was his 38th winning semi-final in a row on clay, with his last loss coming against Carlos Moya in August 2003.

Raonic had turned in a breakthrough week on the clay of the Real Club de Tenis, winning all of his matches in straight sets.

He defeated Spaniard Nicolas Almagro and upset second-seeded, world number four Andy Murray in the quarter-finals.

"It was very tough to beat Raonic," said Ferrer. "We each had chances but it came down to winning on the key points. He has a huge forehand and he's very difficult to break."

The 21-year-old, ranked 25th, threatened early in the opening set against Ferrer but could not convert on four break chances.

Raonic saved six set points before Ferrer finally clinched it in the tiebreaker from the Canadian's netted forehand.

In the second set, the pair stayed on level-pegging, with Raonic saving the lone break points of the set in the 11th game.

In the tie-breaker, Raonic salvaged a match point as a return caught the line. But Ferrer advanced on his second opportunity from a Raonic error.

"I felt I played very well on the clay this week. I had some very good sensations," said Raonic. "I'm ready for my next objective, Madrid (from next weekend).

"But he was too good when it mattered, that's what makes him a great player who has beaten me every time we've played."

Ferrer improved to 28-4 this season with three titles.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, spain

First posted April 29, 2012 07:39:39

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No worries for Nadal in Barcelona

Updated April 27, 2012 06:34:20

Rafael Nadal recorded his 31st consecutive win at his home Barcelona Open to reach the quarter-finals at the expense of Colombian qualifier Robert Farah 6-2, 6-3.

Spain's world number two improved his near-impeccable record at the event to 32-1 as he aims to lift a seventh title from his last eight appearances.

His only loss came in 2003 against the country's current Davis Cup captain Alex Corretja.

Top seed Nadal, who is now 24-3 on the season, has not broken sweat since making history at the weekend by clinching his eighth straight title in Monte Carlo where he beat world number one Novak Djokovic.

"I had a good start, but the second set was a lot more difficult," said Nadal, atfer seeing off the world number 66.

"There are no easy matches out there. It was tough, but I'm into the quarters and feeling positive. Tomorrow will be even more difficult for sure."

Nadal will next face Serb fifth seed Janko Tipsarevic, who put out Frederico Gil of Portugal 6-2, 6-2.

Tipsarevic, who has lost his two previous meetings with Nadal, knows he will be up against the world's best on clay, but goes into the contest with a positive attitude.

"Nadal is absolutely the worst opponent anyone can have on clay," he admitted.

"He's hardly lost a match here. But you have to go for the victory, aiming to just win a few games or a set is not enough. I'm playing well, I'm not too tired. I have fuel left in my tank for this match."

Second seed Andy Murray crushed Colombia's Santiago Giraldo in a powerful 6-1, 6-2 display to set up a showdown with Milos Raonic.

Murray, a quarter-finalist a week ago in Monte Carlo, reached the last eight again as he builds for the French Open next month.

Murray and number 25 Raonic, who eliminated two-time semi-finalist Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-3, had been due to meet in Miami in March, but the Canadian suffered an injury and handed the Scotsman a walkover third-round win.

Murray has produced his best career showing in Barcelona this week after previously winning only one match at the Real Club de Tenis.

"It was good, I started the match well" said Murray.

"He had played a lot of clay tennis already so I was expecting some long rallies.

"But I got ahead and put pressure on him from the start. He started going for more and making some errors.

"I've never played Raonic but he has a huge serve. I have to play a solid match. He can have some ups and down, so if he makes errors and give me chances I have to be ready to take them."

Third seed David Ferrer, three times a losing finalist to Nadal, advanced over Spanish compatriot Albert Montanes 6-0, 6-2.

Spanish seventh seed Feliciano Lopez beat Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-1 while Japan's Kei Nishikori defeating Spain's Albert Ramos 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, spain

First posted April 27, 2012 06:34:20

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Nadal makes Barcelona final

Posted April 24, 2011 10:22:00

World number one Rafa Nadal notched up his 500th career win overnight and clinched a place in the Barcelona Open final by beating unseeded Croatian Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-2.

The 24-year-old Nadal, who won his first ATP match in 2002, became the second-youngest player to reach the mark, behind former world number one Bjorn Borg, who was 23 years and seven months.

Nadal will play David Ferrer in Sunday's final after the fourth seed won the all-Spanish semi-final against Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4.

Spain's two leading players met in last Sunday's Monte Carlo Masters final when Nadal was victorious and he can stretch his unbeaten run on clay to 34 matches if he collects his sixth Barcelona title in seven years.

"(Five hundred wins) sounds a lot," Nadal told Spanish television.

"My career to date has been much better than I could ever have dreamed of.

"I'm very grateful to all the people who have helped me to have the life I have, I'm very fortunate. I want to continue enjoying it because you never know when it might end."

Earlier in the tournament, Dodig, the world number 56, had knocked out Robin Soderling, the last player to beat Nadal on clay back in 2009.

"6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals of a tournament as difficult as this is a little unreal," Nadal said.

"Ivan has played a very good tournament, he's had a spectacular start to the season.

"In reaching the semi-finals here he's beaten players of the highest level, so for me I'm particularly happy to be in the final.

"Ferrer is a friend and one of the most in-form players around at the moment."

- Reuters

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Nadal cruises through Barcelona opener

Posted April 21, 2011 08:32:00

World number one Rafa Nadal began his quest for a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years by trouncing fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-1, 6-1 in their second round match.

The top seed, coming off a seventh straight Monte Carlo Masters crown on his favoured clay surface, took his phenomenal winning record on the red dust since 2005 to 182-6 to set up a last-16 clash against Colombian Santiago Giraldo.

The Wimbledon, French Open and US Open champion sealed victory on his second match point with a trademark forehand winner down the line that his 60th-ranked opponent was unable to get a racket on.

"I played quite a good match," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish television.

"At times he made more mistakes than probably he usually would and I was able to make the most of that," added the 24-year-old, who missed last year's edition due to injury.

"I am very pleased to be back here in Barcelona after not being able to make it last time."

Third seed Robin Soderling had a day to forget when he was upset 6-2, 6-4 by unseeded Croat Ivan Dodig.

The Swede, runner-up at the French Open for the last two years, had his serve broken five times by the 56th-ranked Dodig and misses out on a possible meeting with Nadal in Saturday's semi-finals.

Fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, beaten by Nadal in the final in Monte Carlo, eased through with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina.

Unseeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Germany's Mischa Zverev, who replaced injured second seed Andy Murray, 6-4, 7-5.

-Reuters

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Injury rules Murray out of Barcelona

Posted April 20, 2011 12:46:00

Third seed Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open to let his right elbow injury from last week properly heal in the run-up to Roland Garros.

"Under doctor's advice I have had to withdraw from the Godo tournament due to my elbow injury. I'm going to take four or five days of rest," said Murray, who had tested his problem without much success on a side court at the Real Club de Tenis.

Witnesses said the player's fitness looked questionable as he tried to serve, 72 hours after he had to take a pain-killing cortisone injection in order to play a Monte Carlo Masters semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Murray will hope to be fit for the Madrid and Rome Masters events, which precede the May 22 start of the French Open.

On the court, French ninth seed Richard Gasquet booked into the second round with a 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 defeat of Juan Ignacio Chela.

Gasquet, a third-round victim last week in Monte Carlo against Nadal, fought for more than two and a half hours to put out his Argentine opponent, overcoming six potentially costly double-faults against Chela.

World number 17 Gasquet faced 11 break points, saving six, while breaking clay court specialist Chela four times.

He will next play Slovenian Blaze Kavcic.

Former US Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero, 2001 champion in Barcelona, made a winning return in his first match since last year after undergoing surgery on his wrist and knee in October.

The veteran Spaniard reached the second round by beating Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-2.

He now has a 26-9 win-loss record in Barcelona, where he has played finals in 2000 (lost to Marat Safin) and 2005 (lost to Nadal).

"I had some discomfort at first, but after I warmed up I felt better," said Ferrero.

"It did hurt everywhere at the end and it was hard to close out the win. But I'm happy, everything went well."

Japan's Kei Nishikori advanced when Spain's Per Riba retired injured at 6-2 down after the first set.

The same fate befell this month's Casablanca champion Potito Starace of Italy, who could not go on against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver with the score 4-6, 6-1, 2-0 in Gimeno-Traver's favour.

Gimeno-Traver will next face five-time champion Nadal, fresh from a seventh consecutive title at Monte Carlo, where he defeated Barcelona fourth seed David Ferrer.

In other results, Croatian Ivan Dodig defeated Frenchman Vincent Millot 6-2, 6-3, while the last remaining German, Simon Greul, eliminated the only American in the singles field with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Robert Kendrick.

- AFP

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